Currys’ charity unveils its bus
Mobile resource center to serve Oakland’s kids
When Stephen and Ayesha Curry launched their foundation Eat. Learn. Play. (ELP), they viewed it as a way to mobilize forces to help underserved communities.
Now, they’re taking that term “mobilize” quite literally.
On Wednesday, ELP will unveil a mobile resource center: a custom-built former school bus that will deliver all three pillars of the foundation’s purpose — nutrition, education and recreation — directly to the Oakland community.
“It is crazy to see it come to fruition,” Ayesha said Tuesday. “It’s very exciting.”
How do you get all three concepts into one vehicle?
“It has exceeded our expectations,” Stephen said. “It’s like a Transformer.”
The Currys, along with their partners, have sought innovative ways to bring needed resources directly into the Oakland community. When the pandemic hit, they leaped into action, partnering with the Alameda County Community Food Bank and World Central Kitchen, among others, to help provide more than 18 million meals in Oakland.
Now the brightly colored bus, designed by Cruising
Kitchens based in San Antonio, is part food truck, mobile library and funmobile. The passenger side is a food service area, which will distribute pre-made meals, grocery staples and fresh produce. The other side will be a free bookstore and mobile library. The bus also comes with a basketball hoop, a roof deck that can hold up to 35 people, and a sound system and screens that will enhance community events.
“Initially, I wanted to go into areas where there are food deserts — no access to fresh produce within a 5-mile radius,” Ayesha said. “We decided to put it on wheels and meet people where they are.”
The Currys have been eager to lean into the “Learn” pillar of their foundation, especially as the educational toll of the pandemic is still being revealed. Children have missed learning opportunities, and those who don’t have easy access to technology or have parents who must work outside the home are at greater risk than ever of being left behind.
“We want to create joy and excitement around learning,” Stephen said. “Teachers are challenged every day with how to make their classrooms fun and make learning cool. I hope we can provide some assistance in that respect.”
The goal is to distribute 100,000 books annually. The books are curated through partnerships that include the Oakland Public Library. The Currys hope to have events such as readings by children’s book authors and backpack distributions.
“There are a lot of statistics that if kids are not at reading level by third grade, they are at risk of being left behind,” Stephen said. “We want to help be involved early in the process.”
Though the bus will be launched at a private event, the Currys hope it will become part of the community, that people will be able to find it through ELP’s social media and even request that it appear at various events. And sometimes the Currys will be there, too.
“We don’t want to set the expectations that we are going to be driving the bus everywhere,” Stephen said. “But there will be special occasions where we will be there, for sure, and we want to be able to broadcast that loud and clear.”
There will, of course, have to be some crowd control when they appear. Ayesha got a firsthand look at a big crowd at BottleRock last week, when she did a cooking demonstration with rapper G-Eazy while Stephen watched via FaceTime on his mother-in-law’s phone. Ayesha, who cooked smashed potatoes and a tomahawk steak and played beer pong as the crowd surged, was greeted like a rock star.
“It was a little nerve-racking, given the situation,” Ayesha said. “I wasn’t really expecting it.”
The two were discussing the ELP play bus launch via Zoom on Tuesday. Ayesha, whose culinary career continues to thrive, was in her office. Stephen — who announced a partnership with crypto exchange FTX on Tuesday — was at his “day job” at the Warriors’ facility. Training camp opens soon.
They’re busy people. But they’re finding the time to grow their foundation, serve the community and mobilize resources. Quite literally.